The Future Of Cannabis Event A Different Kind Of Party For This Blogger

Edibles & Free Joints Mix Well With Investors, Industry Leaders & Influencers  

By Kevin Wilkerson, PubClub.com Blogger

I knew this was going to be a different kind of event when the person ahead of me checked in under the name of Mary Jane.

Then it was really different when one of the organizers gathered everybody in a room and announced “free joints upstairs!”

Actually, I knew it would be different ahead of time when I was invited to the Future of Cannabis media party at a mansion in Hollywood, an event that involved industry leaders, investors and influencers in the cannabis industry.

The sponsors certainly hinted at the uniqueness of this party, which was hosted by ChefDance CEO Mimi Kim: ACME Elixirs, which set up a Vapor Bar; Kiva Convections, which distributed chocolate desserts; Keef Cola, which provided Keef-infused sparkling water and MassRoots. There were also Cannabis-infused appetizers by Jeff the 420 Chef & Chef Robyn Lawrence and a non-cannabis buffet dinner by Chef Phuong Tran of Croft Alley.

I should state now that I’m a drinker and not a toker, so I was kind of unsure as to what to expect, down to the dress code. I opted for business casual, tho it was quickly apparent to me that I could have gone a bit more casual, as long as I was somewhat stylish.

And while I don’t partake in cannabis, I do support the industry as well its lifestyle. It’s just that for me, this party was like a skipper sailing into uncharted waters. So instead of raising the sails and throwing caution to the wind, I stuck with what I knew: cocktails!

I was certainly much more at home with a drink in my hand than I would have been with a joint. Or even the Keef drink that was being served at the bar (“we do not recommend mixing this with alcohol” one of the bartenders said to people on more than one occasion).

My PubClub.com associate, Chris, on the other hand, was completely in his element. In fact, he was having the time of his life.

And I really enjoyed him enjoying himself.  I compared it to me being totally in one of my happiest environments – at a Jimmy Buffett concert, an Alabama football game, an exceptionally lively beer and wine festival, in the Greek Islands  – and knew his high was not solely from the products. It was from him being around the products and the like-minded people at the party.

And the people, well let me say they were all very friendly. Even tho I was not “one of them” because I’m not a user, nobody looked down on me or acted as if I was some strange sideshow that had somehow sneaked into the event.

In fact, I had several interesting conversations, including one with the rep for Petra Mints, a Moroccan mint infused with 2.5 parts of THC. (I vowed to try this later when I was in the “safety” of my own home not knowing how I would react to it. Again, my sails were down in these new waters.)

The rep and I talked about if the proliferation of medial marijuana dispensaries and the overall openness of the use of marijuana in states like California and Colorado have changed the stereotype many people have of pot users. You know, like they are all spaced-out stoners like Spicoli.

I don’t think so, not yet anyway, but there wasn’t a Spicoli in this bunch, I can tell you.

Part of the event was used to promote cooking with cannabis, which is becoming a hot culinary trend here in Los Angeles. Several restaurants are using cannabis infused in food. This was not a step I was ready to take because, as one of the chefs explained to me, there’s a delayed effect – as much as two hours – when the active ingredient in cannabis, THC, takes affect on the body. The chef, by the way, was Jeff The 420 Chef.

I prefer to feel my hallucinogens, as it were, having their effect on me more immediately – you know, feeling the tingle in the toes, having it rise up the bloodstream and eventually numbing the brain. The thought that I could be suddenly incoherent or babbling like a baby in two hours in a very nice and professional setting with no warning did not appeal to me.

I needed to practice these edibles first – you know at home, to learn my limits and tolerances and certainly not at a classy affair in a mansion with 150 investors and influencers. I also had thoughts of being like the rookie drinker who gets drunk on one beer and makes a fool of themselves while the other “veterans” sit around and shake their heads.

Plus, I had to get up at 8 the next morning to do some PR work for a client and I didn’t want to be all out of sorts when writing the press release.

So I passed on the edibles.

But I would not pass on another event for the cannabis or the edibles industry.

Now if you excuse me I’m going out on the porch to try one of these Petra Mints.